A PAIR OF ROYAL BRACELETS BY MELLERIO, DITS MELLER, SET WITH PORTRAIT MINIATURES OF THE CHILDREN OF ANTOINE OF ORLÉANS, DUKE OF MONTPENSIER, CIRCA 1848-1868

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Details

A PAIR OF ROYAL BRACELETS BY MELLERIO, DITS MELLER, SET WITH PORTRAIT MINIATURES OF THE CHILDREN OF ANTOINE OF ORLÉANS, DUKE OF MONTPENSIER, CIRCA 1848-1868
Bracelet 1:
Marie Isabelle of Orléans, Infanta of Spain and Princess of Orléans, later Countess of Paris (1848-1919); Marie-Amelie of Orléans, Infanta of Spain (1851-1870); Marie-Christine of Orléans, Infanta of Spain (1852-1879); Maria de la Regla of Orléans, Infanta of Spain (1856-1861); Ferdinand of Orléans, Infante of Spain (1859-1873); Deceased infant born in 1857
Bracelet 2:
Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, Infanta and later Queen of Spain (1860-1878); Philippe-Raymond of Orléans, Infante of Spain (1862-1864); Antoine of Orléans, Infante of Spain and later Duke of Galliera (1866-1930); Louis-Marie Philippe of Orléans, Infante of Spain (1867-1874)
One signed 'F. Aubert.' (lower left)
Some on ivory, some on card
Gold bracelets 162 and 167 mm. long (excluding clasp), each struck with with French garantie mark for 14 carat gold; the miniatures oval, 24 mm. high, some set with locks of hair in their glazed reverses, two apertures without miniatures, set in hinged green leather case, the cover with coat-of-arms of the Dukes of Montpensier

Provenance

Marie-Amélie of Bourbon-Naples (1782-1866), Queen of the French, commissioned by her from Mellerio, dits Meller circa 1848-1868.
Given to her daughter-in-law Luisa Fernanda, Duchess of Montpensier (1832-1897).
By direct family descent to the present owners.

Special notice

Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country.

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Victoria Drummond

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Lot Essay

A daughter of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies and Queen Maria Carolina, and a niece of Queen Marie-Antoinette of France, Marie-Amélie of Naples and Sicily married, in 1809, Louis-Philippe of Orléans. They had four daughters and six sons, the youngest of whom was Antoine of Orléans, Duke of Montpensier (1824-1890) who married, in 1846, Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain (1832-1897), daughter of Ferdinand VII of Spain. The present bracelets were commissioned by Queen Marie-Amélie and made by Mellerio, dits Meller, who were appointed official jeweller to Marie-Amélie when Duchess of Orléans on her return from exile in 1815. On her ascension to the throne, Mellerio was awarded a royal warrant of appointment as a supplier to ‘Her Royal Highness, Queen of the French’. During the Queen’s reign she did not use the Royal Collection of Jewels out of her concern for simplicity. At official ceremonies she wore her personal jewellery, most of which was made by the Maison Mellerio. These included a number of bracelets set with portrait miniatures of family members such as the present example. It has been said that on the Queen’s death she was wearing one of the Mellerio bracelets (see S. d’Huart, Journal de Marie-Amélie, Reine des Français 1800-1866, Paris, 1980, p. 561). The present pair was given to the Duchess of Montpensier by the Queen and an entry in the family inventory of the jewellery collection of the Dukes of Montpensier, compiled towards the end of the 19th century, describes four gold bracelets set with portrait miniatures, two of which are most likely the present examples. The Mellerio archive lists a number of portrait bracelets commissioned by the Queen between 1832 and after 1848. Similar examples to the present pair include four, sold Christie’s, Paris, 14 October 2008, lot 466, from the Collection of the Count and Countess of Paris. Similar bracelets were sent to Queen Victoria in 1845 and 1852 as a gift from Queen Marie-Amélie. They are set with portrait miniatures of the children of Queen Victoria and one of Prince Albert (see V. Remington, Victorian Miniatures in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, II, London, 2010, pp. 336-337).
We are indebted to M. Xavier Dufestel for his assistance with the preparation of this catalogue entry.

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